Leo VIII: The Contested Pontiff
The Eighth of the Leos | Pope Leo VIII (963–965 AD)
“Put not your trust in princes: in the children of men, in whom there is no salvation.”
— Psalm 145:2, Douay-Rheims
In the long history of the papacy, there have been many saints, some sinners, and a few who sit in a strange in-between space, men whose very title “pope” is disputed. Leo VIII belongs to this last category.
He is remembered by some lists as the legitimate Pope from 963 to 965. Others regard him as an antipope installed by the will of the Holy Roman Emperor. Yet whether lawful or unlawful, his story shines a light on one of the most turbulent relationships in medieval Christendom: the struggle between papal independence and imperial authority.
Rome Under the Shadow of the Empire
By the mid-10th century, Rome and the papacy were caught in a dangerous game. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, crowned in 962 by Pope John XII, expected the papacy to serve imperial policy. Pope John XII, however, resisted, siding at times with Otto’s enemies.
When John XII was accused of grave moral corruption and treachery against the emperor, Otto marched into Rome. In November 963, he convened a synod at St. Peter’s Basilica, deposed John XII, and, acting as if the keys of Peter could be turned by a crown, installed Leo VIII, then a layman and the city’s chief notary, as Pope.
From Layman to Pope Overnight
The most shocking element of Leo VIII’s rise was the speed of his elevation. He was a layman when Otto chose him, and he was rushed through all holy orders, from lector to deacon to priest to bishop, within a matter of days, culminating in his papal consecration.
This violated the spirit, if not the letter, of canonical norms. It also meant that many in Rome viewed him as an imperial puppet, a foreign imposition upon the sacred See.
The Back-and-Forth of Power
Leo VIII’s position was precarious from the start. When Otto left Rome in 964, the city revolted, restoring John XII to the papal throne. After John’s sudden death later that year, the Romans elected Benedict V as pope.
But Otto returned, besieged the city, and forced Benedict to surrender. Benedict was exiled to Germany, and Leo VIII was reinstated in June 964. He ruled until his death in 965, during which time he largely acted in line with Otto’s policies.
The Question of Legitimacy
Historians still debate: Was Leo VIII truly pope?
The Annuario Pontificio, the official Vatican list, treats him as legitimate from 963 to 965, recognizing Benedict V as an antipope during the overlap. Others argue the opposite, that Leo VIII was the antipope and Benedict V the lawful pontiff. The truth is tangled, because both elections were politically compromised.
What is certain is that Leo VIII’s papacy is a reminder that the office of Peter can be overshadowed, but never extinguished, by human ambition.
His Acts in Office
Leo VIII issued several decrees strengthening imperial influence over papal elections and Church governance. These were deeply controversial in Rome, as they effectively placed the papacy under the emperor’s shadow.
And yet, there is little evidence that Leo VIII himself was personally corrupt or cruel. He may have been a man trapped by circumstances, thrust into a role by an emperor, ruling in a city that resented him, and leaving little spiritual legacy beyond the political turmoil.
Death and Aftermath
Leo VIII died in March 965 and was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica. His passing brought no resolution to the larger struggle between popes and emperors, a contest that would flare again in the centuries-long Investiture Controversy.
In the end, his papacy remains a mirror reflecting the dangers that arise when the papal throne becomes a bargaining chip in the hands of princes.
“The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord: whithersoever he will, he shall turn it.”
— Proverbs 21:1, Douay-Rheims
Even when emperors place their hands upon the keys of Peter, they do not hold them. God alone turns the lock.
The Lion in Chains
Pope Leo VIII’s story is not one of roaring victory. It is a tale of chains, chains of political dependency, of imperial domination, of the papacy caught between heaven’s commission and earth’s demands.
And yet, his time on the throne, whether judged lawful or not, reminds us of something vital: the papacy has endured emperors, invasions, and usurpations. No earthly power, however mighty, can claim the Chair of Peter forever.
For the true Lion of the Church is not crowned by man.